These days, the most sought-after topic of discussion is nepotism, after the unfortunate death of our beloved, upcoming, most promising could-have-been superstar, Mr. Sushant Singh Rajput. He was indeed a bright kiddo in the block with no backup or filmy background, but he still made it big in Hindi cinema. He was being looked upon as the next generation of superstars in the making.
His transition into films, though people might feel, was very challenging and things like that. But for me, his entry into films was quite smooth. Not all actors from TV can hit the Bollywood note so early on in their career unless you have it in you or you have some Godfather. He had a brief television career from 2006 to 2011.
It was here that he was spotted by Balaji Telefilms and eventually caught the attention of Ekta Kapoor, who happens to be the owner of the production house. I still remember watching him on the daily soap “Pavitra Rishta” during my college days. Though I was not a regular viewer of TV serials, somehow whenever I saw a certain episode, my heart used to say that this guy would make it big someday. I don’t know why, but maybe his innocence or his smile caught me liking him more and more.
He got his break in the world of Hindi cinema through “Kai Po Che.”. This film was an instant hit, and people started mumbling and asking, Who’s this new boy making waves in the industry? Luckily, he has gotten the kind of start that one dreams of. From here on, there was no looking back. He was getting offers upon offers for signing new films. Thereby, he became the talk of the town in a good way and in a bad way as well. Because not everyone is bound to be happy with your success.
Still, as time moved on, his films were doing well and were grossing well above par at the box office. Fortunately or unfortunately, he worked on the biopic of our living cricket legend, Thala Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The film was a superhit, and Sushant proved again that he’s a bankable star.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which was creating havoc not only in our country but all around the world. It pushed all of us to remain indoors for quite some time. COVID affected the lives of many in some way or another, whether you are rich or poor. It was during this period that the news broke that our beloved star was no more. The news had shocked the nation, and all of a sudden there were several theories and guesswork that the news channels had telecast then.
Some started creating awareness for mental health. Some said it was the big guns of the industry who had conspired to have him killed. Some had a neutral view, as in he was a small towner, unable to handle fame, and therefore he was doing drugs, which ultimately took his life. But there was this one word that was more discussed during this time than anything else. It was in the prime-time program of most of the news channels. I hope that by now you have guessed the word. The word is nepotism.
Suddenly, people started saying it’s nepotism in the film industry that has taken his life. The public started cussing the big personalities of Bollywood for not giving enough opportunities to the newcomers to showcase their talent. Some started ranting that newcomers were not treated equally in front of star kids, and their movies were being snatched and given to these kids, thereby compromising on their raw talent. It was a complete mayhem. Media houses used every opportunity to play on the subject, thereby boosting its TRP.
Now the focus has shifted from the tragic death of Sushant Singh Rajput to who killed Sushant Singh Rajput, What killed Sushant Singh Rajput, the boycott of Hindi cinema, the boycott of movies made under certain banners, boycotting nepo kids, etc.
So what exactly is Nepotism? It is an act of granting advantage or privilege to a certain family member or friend in a job or occupation by the person in power or with high influence. It is not limited to a specific field or profession. There was this big-shot producer/director who was being interviewed and was asked to clarify his stance on the subject. He was posed this question as to why he doesn’t feel comfortable promoting new and fresh talents.
The director was quick to respond and he replied categorically. He said, “What is the hullabaloo all about? Is it even a valid question? He further retorted, keeping everything constant: “What will the son of a farmer do, What will the son of a carpenter do, What will the son of a sportsman do, What will the son of a politician do? Ninety-nine percent will be forcing or promoting their boys to follow in their footsteps. So why can’t a filmmaker’s son or daughter follow their family profession?
As a businessman, will you be comfortable allowing your colleague’s son or daughter to succeed you in your company or will you promote your family member to the position of managing chairman? It will be your close blood relative who is going to succeed you when you retire. And that’s because of a very simple reason: what belongs to me should always go to my near and dear ones. They are the rightful owner of my legacy. At least that’s the definition you will find in books.
Similarly, a politician’s son or daughter is bound to step into his father’s shoes whenever he’s going to retire from his post. Even a farmer’s son more or less succeeds in his father’s profession, though the reason here may be due to poverty and lack of education. In a nutshell, this is the basic principle of our existence. It’s like a vicious circle. Wealth is passed on to the next generation, power is also passed on to the next generation; and so is poverty.
The director further states, “If it is the way for other people or professions, why cannot it be the same for the film industry? Why such double standards? He points out that a producer or director will also have a natural inclination to promote a star kid because of the title attached to his name, which somewhat guarantees them that such a person is his son or daughter; therefore, he is bound to succeed and so is his film.
Ultimately, it’s the face value that the star kid carries with him or her of being someone’s son or daughter, and nobody can snatch that privilege from them. At the end of the day, it’s a complete business and a risky business. So why can’t a director or producer decide whom to cast for their films? After all, they put their hard-earned money into something where the success rate is volatile.
The simple logic here is to understand that whenever a film is made, a lot of dynamics come into play, wherein one factor will always play a major role, and that is that the filmmaker has seen the growth of a star kid son or daughter from infancy since the star himself and the filmmaker belong to the same fraternity. It’s like a big family where they know each other.
So, the answer lies in my question to you: “Will you be comfortable betting your hard-earned money on someone you know or on someone who people call to be talented? After all, there are no such metrics to check the meritocracy of the candidate. Neither is it always about talent. It’s about acceptability.
The public knows very well that he or she is a relative of this film star. The star’s son or daughter is already marketed, and therefore, makers believe no additional marketing is required for them as they are already hyped. But for a newcomer, it’s not the same. He or she may be talented, but there’s always this gamble that people know him or her either from TV or some theatre group.
Henceforth, it takes real courage for the producer to make a call as to whom to cast for his grand project. But to tell you the truth, the industry is capable enough and has been promoting ample enough newcomers to showcase their talent not only in acting but also in other aspects of filmmaking.
And if suppose there’s this nepotism in Bollywood kind of thing, then we wouldn’t have had the likes of Raj Kumar Rao, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Irfan Khan, or Vikrant Massey. Every industry has its problems, but that doesn’t mean that things are all haywire; after all, it’s a creative line, the result of which is in the hands of the audience.
So, the very assumption that Sushant Singh Rajput was being targeted and side lined doesn’t hold. Ugly things happen everywhere, but we learn from our mistakes. Competition and competitiveness can co-exist. With or without links, talent and talented people should always be promoted.
The point through which I will close my argument is that we can and should make the industry more viable for newcomers to hop in so that creativity and creative people always shine.
For more insight on the topic of nepotism, you may also watch the video below: